Mozzera, have you been to Easter Island yet? I have a very big soft spot for remote little islands, and Isla Navarino, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and Easter Island are on my list, and of course Pitcairn and Tristan Da Cunha!

<!--sizeo:2--><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><!--fonto:Arial Black--><span style="font-family:Arial Black"><!--/fonto-->We are joined in the ideological cuddle<!--fontc--></span><!--/fontc--><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->

(I just found this and I thought it would be cool to share it with you, so if you want to read about my place...)

U R U G U A Y - The free people

Because they struggled so long and hard for independence, the people of Uruguay have developed a strong nationalistic feeling. Their tradition is democratic and they are possesive about it. It is almost as if they invented democracy! The Uruguayan people treasure the freedom they finaly won, and the spirit of liberty is still strong among the Uruguayans. They have a voice in their goverment, and they are practicaly guaranteed a good life because of laws that are just, and the many educational opportunities offered freely to all. Many people have immigrated to this republic, hence, Uruguay has more of a cosmopolitan air than any other Country in South America. By nature the people are friendly and unassuming. They are not only good citizens but are also good neighbors. There are more than three million people in Uruguay and the majority of Uruguayans are of European origin. They came largely from Spain, and include many Basques. There are also groups of Italians, English, German and Swiss, and often visitors to Uruguay are surprised to find so many men, women and children with light skin, blond hair and blue eyes.

When Spain established its first fort in the Banda Oriental in Montevideo, naturally, the people who came were of Spanish origin. There were already Portuguese soldiers and their families living at Colonia. The original inhabitants, the Charrua Natives, were wiped out during the colonial period. In fact, by the time Uruguay had become a republic, the Indians had dissapeared. They had either been killed in the wars, or they had died out. Today, only about 5 percent of the population has any trace of Indian or Negro blood. Traces of Indian blood are seen in the features of those gauchos who have straight hair and dark complexions.After achieving independence, more immigrants came to Uruguay from Italy and Spain, at a time when Argentina was torn by civil strife. The newcomers were afraid to settle on the pampas and therefore went to Montevideo and settled along the Plata and Uruguay rivers.In the seventy years between 1830 and 1900, the immigrants from Europe swelled the country's population from about sixty thousand to nine hundred thousand which created a large middle class. Most of them preferred city life to the country, and by the beginning of the twentieth century Montevideo had approximately one hundred thousand people.Immigrants from Slavic countries also settled in various parts of the country. In the 1930's, some restrictions were placed on the people wanting to enter the country and at that time the importing of seasonal farm workers was stopped, but during the Nazi persecution Uruguay received Jewish refugees from Europe.

Uruguay has the lowest birthrate (21/1000), the lowest rate of population growth (0.6%) and the oldest population in the hemisphere. There are more Uruguayans over fifty years of age than under.

While Spanish is the official language, Uruguayan Spanish, like Argentinian Spanish, has been changed somewhat by the Italians who inmigrated in large numbers to both countries. The Uruguayans speak a softer Spanish than the Castillian, elegant and clearer than the spanish used in the rest of America, some words are different from those commonly used in Spain. The gaucho has had a great influence on the language, especially in words that are a part of their way of life.Although there are few gauchos today, compared to Artigas' time, there are many who still work with the cattle. If a person wishes to compliment a friend or business associate, he often describes him/her as being muy gaucho it means he or she is straightforward and frank.

Okay so this might be fun and this might be lame as, so bear with me- but here are a few pictures of a few places I have lived

Hilo, Hawaii. A place famous for surfing, good weather and being laid-back.

Cottonwood, California: Originally a stop-over for people going up the Oregon Trail it is certainly still very old-westy with the only big events every year being things like "olf fashioned day" and livestock auctions.

Sunnyvale, California: In Silicon Valley where most major tech companies are based- I lived a 15 minute or less drive from Google, Apple, Yahoo, HP, and then Netflix headquarters. Always one of the "Top 5 safest cities in the USA!" meaning it wasn't very exciting.

Groveland, California: Originally a goldrush town, now pretty much a stop on the long trip up the mountain to Yosemite National Park. But since there is literally nothing cool to see in Groveland- here is Yosemite!

Santa Cruz , California: Huge hippie population, tons of surfing and hiking- town that I am still in love with. Here is a view from a nearby street (West Cliff) at sunset

I have never felt myself to be "from" anywhere specifically because I have never lived in the same building for more than 5 years- but there are 1/2 of the towns I have lived in so I guess add those and the other 5 together and there you have it .

A note upon his desk"P.S. Bring Me Home And Have Me!"Leather elbows on a tweed coat-Oh!-Is THAT the best you can do ?So came his reply :"But on the desk is where I want you!"

Pashy, you lived in Hawaii? I always wondered what it's like. I definitely want to tour the Pacific someday, like Tuvalu, Fiji, Hawaii and -my fetish- Pitcairn.

Santa Cruz looks lovely. I never knew California had such a sights... Like I said, many of us Europeans have the impression California is completely like LA. That is why many Europeans more travel to the east coast to see New York and Boston and Washington and such. But California looks like it has some extraordinary scenery!

@ Rorschach: I have been at the places you pictured. The Derry city walls are amazing, and I also like the Waterloo Street area. Hey, do you have any good pictures of the Brandywell? I collect stadium pictures, but the ones I had from the Brandywell are lost in a hard drive crash

Well, last time I already posted pictures of my native Ghent... But this time I will update it with photos of my current home town. Berlin, the vibrant metropolis of Germany with its bohemian lifestyle, its arts scene that is huge, and its interesting history of divide.

The Berliner Dom along the most beautiful avenue of Berlin, Unter den Linden.

Another building at Unter den Linden, this is like the gate where the avenue begins:

Checkpoint Charlie in the heart of Berlin, this was an old bordercrossing in the time when the city was still divided by the Wall:

It is hard to believe, but this tiny brick wall divided two entirely different worlds. The remainders of the wall can still be found near Kochstrasse and Warschauer Strasse:

The Reichstag:

The German Dome along the Gendarmenmarkt:

All who want a city with lovely architecture, a huge underground scene and nightlife, a lot of artists and bohemian lifestyle, an interesting history of divide, and many shop-till-you-drop options... Welcome to Berlin!

Yeah, Hawaii was amazing to live in, its completely different from the lifestyle that many tourists and visitors imagined-- its an amazingly communal culture and there are so many ins and outs of it that are fascinating and really sweet. I loved it there, I always considered moving back but there is a general deep dislike for haole (white folks) so my blonde hair and blue eyes would only give me as much trouble now as my brother got when he was about my age living over there.

A note upon his desk"P.S. Bring Me Home And Have Me!"Leather elbows on a tweed coat-Oh!-Is THAT the best you can do ?So came his reply :"But on the desk is where I want you!"